Vaca Frita (Cuban Shredded Beef)
This Vaca Frita is Cuban Shredded Beef that is moist, tender, and crispy on the outside. It’s beef infused with orange and lime juice for a mojo flavor. Your family will love this Vaca Frita.
CUBAN VACA FRITA
(originally posted 2013)
If you name her, she will come. That’s my theory. I’m in the final countdown until this baby joins our family. Hopefully this week.
I so graciously gave my husband the rights to naming this baby girl but as the big day comes closer, I’m second guessing my decision.
He’s in no rush to come up with a name. We usually decide after a couple days in the hospital with the birth record people breathing down our neck and I don’t want to do that this time.
I just don’t love any names yet. We’ve both made lists and only have one name that matched and we both weren’t ecstatic about it. So…any ideas?
I like names that are not too crazy but not too common. I already have a daughter named Gracie Belle (after my grandma) so it can’t be anything like that.
It’s no secret that I’ve been all about meat this pregnancy. This Cuban shredded beef is moist and tender with a crispy flavorful outside.
The meat is infused with garlic and onion flavor (like this Korean beef) and brightened with fresh orange and lime juice just like this Mojo Pork Tenderlion.
Eat it with a side of rice and beans or roll it up in a tortilla for a savory meal. I’m in the heart of Cuban cuisine here in south Florida and I would take this over any Cuban restaurant version I’ve tried.
HOW TO MAKE VACA FRITA
Start with cutting your beef roast into chunks. Simmer for about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
After you’ve cooked the meat, cover it in foil and pound it with a meat mallet. If you don’t have a meat mallet, use a large saucepan and get some aggression out.
I felt a little like a Stepford wife gone psycho here. You can even see my son in the background doing his homework – probably thinking I had lost it as I splattered him with shredded meat.
TRADITIONAL CUBAN DISH
After you’ve beaten it into submission, crisp it up in a saucepan and add garlic, cumin, orange juice, and lime to brighten up the flavor. If you’ve made these Pork Carnitas, you’ll find these are a very similar crispy beef version. The perfect Vaca Frita has crispy edges. Vaca Frita literally means fried cow.
OTHER BEEF RECIPES
- Instant Pot Corned Beef
- Salsa Verde Beef Tacos
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Easy Beef Burrito Skillet
- Beef Enchilada Dip
Vaca Frita
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime zest plus 1 tablespoon juice, plus lime wedges for serving
- 1 onion, halved and sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth or vinegar
Instructions
- Bring beef, 2 cups water, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt to boil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until beef is very tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes. (Check beef every 30 minutes, adding enough water so that bottom third of beef is submerged.) Remove lid from skillet, increase heat to medium, and simmer until water evaporates and beef starts to sizzle, 3 to 8 minutes.
- Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to rimmed baking sheet. Pour off and reserve fat from skillet. Rinse skillet clean and dry with paper towels. Place sheet of aluminum foil over beef and, using meat pounder or heavy sauté pan, pound to flatten beef into 1/8-inch-thick pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Some of beef should separate into shreds. Larger pieces that do not separate can be torn in half.
- Combine garlic, oil, and cumin in a small bowl. Combine orange juice and lime zest and juice in a second bowl.
- Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons reserved fat in now-empty large skillet over high heat (don't discard the rest yet). When fat begins to sizzle, add sliced onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion slices are golden brown. Add chicken broth or vinegar and cook until liquid evaporates. Remove onions from the pan. Return skillet to high heat, add 1 1/2 teaspoons reserved fat, and heat until it begins to sizzle. Add beef and cook, stirring frequently, until dark golden brown and crusty, 2 to 4 minutes. It's important to get it nice and crisp.
- Reduce heat to low and push beef to sides of skillet. Add garlic mixture to center and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden brown, about 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat, add orange juice mixture and onion, and toss to combine. Season with pepper to taste. Serve immediately with lime wedges. Can be used as taco filling or just plain.
Easy to cook and tastes delicious.
Thank yoU!
This is an incredible recipe! I am the head chef at a retirement community. We have served this recipe twice, and both times were a complete success! The meat turns out easy to chew with a touch of crispness and exploding in Cuban flavors! Highly recommended!
So happy to hear that!
How could I cook the meat the instant pot?
Yes! Just add it to the instant pot for about 25 minutes.
Is this the same as cuban vaca frita?
Yes, essentially!
I had no rendered fat when I cooked it so I used oil. Did I do something wrong
I love this dish and it’s on my husbands favorite list and as he is super picky that says a lot. Thanks for sharing!!
Glad it passed the test!
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Greetings. I am so happy that you posted this recipe. Being ‘way up in the Great White North, I had never heard of Cuban Beef, but I made something very similar, years ago, using leftover pot roast. I thought it made the best sandwiches ever, but at some point over the years, I forgot about it. Now, thanks to you, I can try it the right way. On the other topic — I have four daughters, and before my biological clock ran out, I always said that if I had a fifth daughter, I would name her “Alexandra Catherine”, and then her nick-name could be Alley Cat. Nobody else in the family liked my idea, but you are welcome to use it, if you happen to share my kind of sense of humour.
Christy, I do apologize, and I am truly embarrassed. It never occurred to me to check the dates on any of the other comments. Obviously, I am late — by several years — with my naming suggestion!
Oh Patricia, I love your name suggestion. No worries! Maybe I’ll use the name for my grandchild someday. My shop is closed! Haha.
I used the pressure cooker too, note to help others I find 11 min per pound works most of the time. Love this recipe I have made it often.
I cooked the beef in my pressure cooker and after half an hour when the meat was really tender I took off the lid and followed the rest of the instructions. Absolutely delicious. Thank you.
So glad you liked it!
Still looking for a name? I had Hanna Rae picked out but ended up with a Randall James, which the husband picked out. I wanted Jesse, but he didn’t like it.
We already named her. She’s two now…haha. But I will save your suggestions if we have a surprise baby!
I like the name Ariana . God bless and keep you. I love to eat everything too!
FYI Cubans are only allowed to raise the beef, not eat it. Beef is only for tourist consumption!
Good to know…
I LOVE Zoe as well! When I was pregnant with my son if he would have been a girl I wanted to name him Zoe or Phoebe (husband wasn’t thrilled, lol) but we had a son so it turned out really cool anyway as both me and my husband’s have dad’s with middle names are ‘Neal’ so no choice in that part , I wanted to name him also after my husband (Jerry) but my husband hates his name for his son but we both agreed since he was our first son, we wanted the name Adam so we wound up with Adam J Neal! We have a daughter, Hannah Angelica♥♥♥
Also I love the recipe with one HUGE change! LOL My guys and I Love Pork Loin, it’s so juicy and the texture absolutely melts in your mouth. A bit more traditional as well but I also love it with Beef♥♥♥